Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors savage 1899 .250

I bought an 1899 Savage .250 at a gun auction here in sw Georgia last year. It had a .250 barrel in it, but after trouble getting more than several cartriges to load into the rotary magazine I fired three shells (100 grain bullets) into a large 25 meter target. They were really spread out and erratic. I took the rifle to a gunsmith in Watkinsville Georgia that was recommended and here is what he found. The rifle originally was a .22 Highpower takedown model according to his research. Some Bubba put the .250 barrel on the rifle for some strange reason. I don't want a .22 Highpower, so my gunsmith says a plan is to put a 30-30 barrel in it since .22 Hipower was a necked down 30-30 brass anyway. He says it will make a deer gun that way. I want an octagon barrel for personal reasons. I would appreciate any expert opinions on this. No trolling please.

Curious about the serial number range and what model of 1899 it is. Checkered with pistol grip, or straight stock and uncheckered? A pic or two would be interesting also.

Straight stock, uncheckered, buttpad, schnable fore end with latch. smooth tapered barrel. I can't send pics because the rifle is in Watkinsville Georgia, 300 miles away. What I am asking from anyone who knows, is what I have outlined is feasible from a hunting standpoint. Collectors value has already been ruined.

Savage .250-3000 barrels up to 1960 had a slow 1:14 barrel twist and the vast majority do not stablize 100 grain bullets. The go to bullet for for those around here is the Speer 87 grain Hot Cor. If you loaded up with 87 grain bullets, you might be pleasantly surprised. Wouldn't solve the rotor isse, but depending on how many cartridges it will load and feed, you might stick with it.

Yes, hard to give a good answer without knowing just what it is that you have. Serial and stock style as Calhoun requested also the brl address so we can tell when it was made.

One characteristic of the early Savage 250 brl is that it has a 1 in 14 twist vs the later standard 1 in 10. The early brls have problems stabilizing 100 grain bullets unless they are very short in length. The brl was designed to shoot an 87 grain bullet which that round is no longer loaded.

I would advise putting the same weight brl as you currently have or you will have to fit a new forearm. If you want an octagon brl and have a round you might be wiser to buy a different rifle and sell what you have.

It'd probably be cheaper to sell that one to someone that wants to futz with it and buy what you want.

Were there any 30-30 takedowns in octagon?
Or is it a takedown receiver and 250 barrel but no longer a takedown rifle in it's current configuration?

As far as I know there's only three parts affecting feeding. Rotor, cartridge guide, cartridge stop. How about working on those and leaving the 250 barrel?

The old 250 barrels had a slow twist, Speer 87 grain sp bullets are the standard solution to the problem of accuracy.

BTW, your 250 takedown barrel has value to help offset the cost of rebarreling to 30-30. Do you already have the replacement barrel?

Straight stock and uncheckered wouldn't be an early 1899 250-3000. Might still be a model 99F or similar from the 20's. Serial number would help. Steel buttplate, or hard rubber?

As Rick said, putting an octagon barrel into the forearm would require reforming the forearm channel to fit it. Be interesting to have an octagon barrel takedown, they weren't offered. Half octagon would be even cooler.

Other than proper forearm fit, if the rotor/etc are for a 22HP then it's probably pretty easy to do either a 30-30 or a 25-35. Easy enough to test, take some 30-30 or 25-35 ammo and see if you can load 5 into the magazine. Obviously don't try to chamber one or close the bolt, that won't work. But you can check loading and feeding by work the bolt halfway.

I have a very early 1899 which was originally an octagon barreled 303 Savage. A good smith rebarreled it into a round barrel in 250-3000 before I was even born, and it works just fine. It is a pretty thick profile barrel to use up the space in the forearm. So these things can be done.

Thanks for all of the replies. I will send the requested info on the rifle as soon as I can talk to the gunsmith. I for sure don't want to monkey with the fore arm just to have an octagon barrel. Thanks especially to Calhoun.

Well if you become intreasted in selling the 250 takedown barrel please let me know as I have a older 99 delux takedown in 250/3000 with a pistol grip perch belly stock, nice checkered wood. But it's been reblued a long time back, they did do a nice job though. Anyway I am looking for a takedown barrel to rechamber to 35 remington for a 2 barrel set. So I would be intreasted if you wanted to part with it.
John
glaciersalaskagmail.com

if you are interested in selling the barrel my takedown 25-3000 barrel is shot out and i really want a replacement dwiltsbcglobal.net

If originally for a 22HP, wouldnt the bolt face be a big problem when you fired a 250 in it? Rimmed vs rimless? Suprised it ejected the case??